7 days in the Cyclades islands

Figure for 7 days, you really only have time for one stop besides Santorini. To make it flow, you would be best to find an island along a ferry route that stops or connects to Santorini. Naxos or Paros are usually recommended, but you could look at ferries that head down the western side of the Cyclades (Serifos, Sifinos, Milos, Folegandros). To save some effort, consider flying back to Athens from Santorini.

We really liked Paros; we loved Naxos. Traveled Oct 2018. Both seemed empty after Santorini. So much to see and do in the old town area & the St. George beaches. Lots of good meals even tho' some places shut down. Stayed in Studios-Kalergis.com right on beach. Good staff, clean rooms, quiet, close to town. We took Blue Lines ferry from Santorini to Paros; back to Naxos 3 days later. The ferry from Santorini stops at Ios then Naxos before Paros. We picked this order because the Naxos Airport is 10 - 15 min by taxi (10 euros) from town or St. George and makes the flight back to Athens quick & easy. You will enjoy either island.

Another Larry for Naxos! It has real Greek communities scattered around the island, and while there is plenty for visitors to see and experience, it is not really a tourist island. In large part because it has a small airport and a ferry port, but it has no cruise port, so no cruise ships or crowds of passengers arriving for the day. Nice mix of history, scenery, lots of excellent restaurants, varied beaches, some shopping too. Evenings pop, a lot with locals or visiting Greek people. You can walk everywhere in Naxos Town, and there are local busses to other beaches, and also busses to towns around the island. I also hired a knowledgeable guide with a car to explore the island and various sites for one day. I enjoyed staying in the top floor apartment at Santa Katerina Apartments, very comfortable, very helpful owner, modest price. On my trip, I flew from Athens to Santorini, took the ferry to Naxos, then flew back to Athens and home. Enjoy!

Thanks for the advice! We had a wonderful visit and ended up spending five days in Santorini only, and that was perfect! It gave us ample time to explore and relax.

We ended up staying in the center of the island in a tiny village called Vothonos in a gorgeous house, the Lagadi Queen. We literally had the entire house to ourselves and were quite impressed by the hospitality of our hosts, Magherita and her daughter! It was a central location but a bit of a hike up to the buses in Messaria. However, it gave us a real taste of village life, vs. staying in the most touristy places. I think it would be a perfect place for someone with a car.

Fira is probably a better place to stay for someone without a car, as the central bus station is there. We found the buses were an efficient way to get around, though we went in October in shoulder season and it wasn't too crowded. Many of the buses did stop in Messaria near the main square, but you have to figure out which bus stops where (ask someone), but I imagine they would be packed in the summer and hard to catch midroute.